A Lot can Happen on Vacation
by Bellalyse Winchester
Summary: Connor was pushed to his breaking point. Will he give in and obey Stephen--saving Abby's life--or will he rebel and protect the world? Is there a way to do both? Now finished.
1. Chapter 1

**As much as I wish I owned the ridiculously awesome characters of Primeval, I don't. Impossible pictures does. If I owned Primeval, the whole team would be alive and Claudia would be there. And Connor and Abby wouldn't be so difficult. And Becker and Sarah would have bigger roles in the story. **

Chapter 1

_Becker was tired of seeing pain--no, that wasn't right. Right now, he wanted to cause Danny Quinn so much pain._

2 weeks earlier

They disembarked into New York City. Abby and Sarah looked around with excitement, their eyes as bright as the skyscrapers etched into the horizon. Connor, Becker, and Danny shared amused glances as the girls insisted they take a picture standing in front of a sign proclaiming the airport they arrived in.

Sarah wore a scarlet-orange sundress, and held a pair of large, clunky sunglasses in her right hand. In her left, she held her carry-on bag. Abby wore cargo pants and a t-shirt proclaiming _Obama-Biden '08_, which she had insisted on ordering online after hearing of their trip to the US of A. Becker, out of his military getup, wore a polo shirt and shorts. Danny was once again proving his mettle, wearing ripped jeans and the illegible t-shirt of some band (which Sarah and Abby had condemned as grunge). Connor was, as usual, in a waistcoat, hat, and fingerless gloves. He fingered the ring on the leather strap about his neck nervously as they stepped to the sign. He, Danny, and Becker held the bags for the girls.

"I don't photograph well," he fretted. Abby barked a laugh before holding a hand to her mouth in restraint. She pulled him to the sign, where Danny and Becker were already standing. Sarah was convincing a woman to take their picture.

After satisfied the woman knew how their camera worked, Sarah stepped to the sign. To her shock and relative pleasure, Becker threw an arm about her waist. Connor put a hand on Abby's shoulder gently. Danny rolled his eyes, grabbing the others and pulling them in so they actually fit in the photograph. The woman gave them a thumbs-up and called, "Say cheese!"

They repeated the sentiment, flashing happy smiles at the camera as light seared their eyes. A moment later it was gone, and Abby and Sarah rushed to the camera to see the image.

"Brilliant!" Sarah exclaimed. She pocketed the camera and turned to the others. "Come on, we can catch a ride."

Danny smiled as they followed her. It was his idea, going on this trip. When Lester found temps to do odd jobs for the ARC occasionally, he knew his regular employees would make trouble. He told Danny they could take a month off, but somehow Danny made it a summer.

After they found they had so much time off, the others agreed with Danny quickly on where to go. A tour of the US, taken by the seats of their pants, would be just what they needed to forget about the ARC a little while.

They caught a cab and directed him to the building they were staying in. It was a small motel, where they had saved three rooms, two with two beds and one with a single bed, which Danny claimed at once. Sarah and Abby took one double room, while Connor and Becker took the other, but while it was still light, they decided to get a bite to eat. Jet lag made them begin to feel awkward and sick.

They found a McDonalds a block away, where they collapsed at a table. It was built for four; Danny pulled another chair up.

"I'll buy tonight," he offered, pulling out his wallet. "What'll we have, then?"

"Triple cheeseburger combo," Becker asked.

"Chicken cheeseburger combo," Connor put in.

"Chicken salad," Sarah said, and Abby nodded.

"Same."

Danny nodded. "Okay," he said, standing and retreating to the front of the fast food restaurant. The others sat silently a moment, before Sarah sighed.

"How do you guys think the temps are doing?" she asked happily. Connor smirked.

"I reckon Codi's not figured out the ADD yet," he supposed. He referred to their replacements at the ARC. Codi, Jackson, Dean, Lily, and Ronny were covering for Connor, Becker, Danny, Sarah, and Abby, respectively. The team knew that they were fairly amateur, but it felt good--in a sadistic sort of way--to imagine someone else suffering under Lester.

***

Lester was on his last nerve. The temps had failed. He wasn't surprised, but they failed. By the time Codi locked the last anomaly, four Microraptors found their way through. Special forces rounded them up and sent them back through once Codi figured out how to open an anomaly again, but he feared what would come through the next anomaly that appeared. Raptors? Future pred--he gritted his teeth. If they came through, no one would stand a chance. As much as he hated to admit it, Danny Quinn and the others were the very best when it came to this. And they were off across the pond snapping photos of themselves with the bloody White House.

Codi had returned to the ARC with tears in her eyes, but he had no sympathy. The other temps were too tired of the shaky, frightened-of-a-shadow girl to say anything to her.

* * *

Okay, that's all for now! (it gets more exciting in Chapter 2!)  
Please Review, I live on reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

**Once again, I don't own Primeval. Darn. **

Chapter 2

Two weeks had passed for the Primeval team, two weeks of getting used to the time zone as they suffered jet lag. Danny had complained at first that they were wasting time, but even he couldn't deny that their clocks were off.

Now, after two weeks of grimacing as they woke after only a few hours of sleep, Connor, Abby, Sarah, and Danny stood waiting outside their hotel room. Becker had left to rent a car, after a heated discussion that ended when Danny said, "Because I'm in charge." Connor smirked when Becker walked away like a dog with its tail between its legs, off to hail a taxi.

A car pulled up--Danny rolled his eyes. A beige sedan. Becker stepped out of the driver's seat, smiling as though daring Danny to comment.

"Nice and discreet," he said when Danny was silent.

"When? Going to play bingo with the other grandparents?"

Becker allowed his smirk to reach his eyes. "You'd know all about that, Danny?"

Sarah and Abby stifled chuckles; Connor laughed openly until Danny silenced him with a look. "Keys."

Becker handed them over grudgingly, though he still wore the smirk.

Countless hours and several silent-treatments later, they had arrived in Philadelphia. Sarah and Abby, despite being kept awake by the bickering of the boys, were wide-eyed and excited to see the lights of Philadelphia. They pointed excitedly as they saw Benjamin Franklin's statue, and the boys shared a smirk, amused that they were so fascinated by the American history.

They stopped at a hotel room to drop their stuff and sleep the night. Sarah and Abby couldn't sleep however, so they sat across from one another, talking.

"We should see the Franklin Institute tomorrow," Sarah suggested. "I saw a flyer for it. There's so much science, and all sorts of stuff--I know most of it's for kids, but it looks fun."

Abby smiled. "Connor would love it."

On hearing Connor mentioned, Sarah pursed her lips and leaned forward, setting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her knuckles. "Connor," she said, her eyes devious.

Abby bit her lip. "Sarah, can you keep a secret?"

Sarah nodded, her eyes widening to innocent saucers as she urged Abby to go on.

Abby looked away. "Sarah, you know…I told you about the mer-creature incident."

"Yes. And the incident after that future anomaly."

Abby glanced up with a tired look. Sarah fell silent. "Yeah, Sarah. And--I know you'll ask--nothing happened in the Cretaceous. _Nothing_." She gave Sarah an angry look, and her friend said nothing, so she continued. "Nothing. But--anyway, ever since all of that, I've been waiting for him to go on, to do something more…"

"He's only male, Abby," Sarah sighed, shaking her head. "And he's Connor. You know him better than anyone."

"But I'm sick of this, Sarah." She gritted her teeth, forcing the tears down. "It's an emotional roller coaster, sometimes he's on and sometimes he's not. I want him to make up his mind already."

Sarah sighed. "Look, Abby," she sighed. "I know Connor cares about you more than anything in the world. I bet he'll come around--wear that dress I bought you, Abby."

Abby looked from Sarah to their bags, where the small, bright dress lurked at the bottom. It was too long to be a shirt but that was it. She glanced back to Sarah, who gave her a slight smile.

"He won't be able to resist, Abby," she said encouragingly. She crossed the room and dug it from Abby's bags, setting it on the table before her.

"Maybe we can hold off going to the museum. Maybe we could all go on a picnic."

Abby raised her eyebrows with interest at that suggestion. Sarah smiled; her work here was done.

* * *

**Okay, that's all for now. Remember, review. I mean it. Or I will send my _Coelosauravus_ to get you. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, I don't own Primeval. But if I could, I'd crawl into an anomaly to the ARC and never come back. Maybe I'll find an anomaly someday…**

Chapter 3

Abby took Sarah's request, stepping out of their room in the dress. It was white and yellow and pink, and it didn't feel like her at all. In addition, Sarah insisted on applying Abby's makeup. She now wore less eyeliner, and Sarah gave her a 'natural' look, which she thought was simply ridiculous. After losing to Sarah with the argument "If I wanted to look natural I'd lose the makeup altogether", however, she was forced to her friend's will.

Danny and Becker eyed Abby with interest as she stepped out with Sarah, though Becker's gaze flicked between the two girls before settling on Sarah. Connor was fiddling with something on his cell phone; Becker flicked his wrist and nodded to Abby. Connor looked up and Abby could've screamed. His gaze was as blank as it had ever been.

"Oi," he said. "Where we off to today?"

"Abby and I were thinking we could have a picnic," Sarah said. Her face was as desolate as Abby felt for a moment, but she flashed a winning smile in an instant. "Right, Abbs?"

Abby nodded emptily. The trip to the park was a blur; she didn't even know for sure what park they were at. Most of her energy was focused on not destroying Connor where he sat, so Sarah placed herself between them diplomatically.

They had gone to the store first. Sarah went along picking things up for the picnic, and pretending for Abby's sake that her friend was paying attention and cared. Abby knew she should be as uplifted as Sarah, but she didn't have the energy.

They reached the park and laid out a blanket. They all took part in setting the picnic up without a fight, which was a good change after all the bickering. Abby and Becker made sandwiches. Sarah walked around, taking pictures of the statues and the other tourists. Connor busied himself playing some racing game on his cell phone while Danny watched with interest.

Then, suddenly, they heard a beeping sound and Connor froze.

"You just crashed, moron--" Danny furrowed his brow when he saw Connor's horrified expression. "What happened?"

The others turned to face them. Connor sputtered.

"You know, we were leaving the ARC for three months," he said breathlessly. "I decided--on Lester's suggestion--to take a Handheld ADD."

Abby's eyes widened. "There's an anomaly _here!?_"

He nodded, reaching into the bottom of the bag they brought, where he had hidden the detector. It was beeping, displaying the direction to the anomaly. Danny pointed the direction to the others and said, "Come on."

They followed him without question, dropping their picnic and heading out through the streets. They rushed across crosswalks and finally stopped before an alleyway. Danny was the first to look up, and he furrowed his brow in confusion. Connor looked up and dropped the detector. Abby gasped. Becker reached instinctively to his waist for a gun, but his hand came away empty.

"Hello, there," Stephen said, his tone dry. "I didn't expect such a warm welcome."

***

Lester slammed the phone down. It had started out amusing, but eventually he grew furious. He did not want a promotion, no matter what the Minister thought.

He didn't want to be surrounded by soldiers and government hacks, not like Christine Johnson always had been. While soldiers were never as disheveled or difficult as the foolhardy scientists he had to work with, and soldiers wouldn't usually disagree with a direct order while the scientists made it second nature, there was something about the silent obedience of a soldier he found unlikable. Though he would never admit it at work, he had a tiny, tiny soft spot inside him for his employees. Even Connor with his deplorable interest in seemingly everything geeky had a few idiosyncrasies that weren't totally laughable.

Lester grimaced, looking hopefully at the clock. Nine Friday night. Time to retreat home for the weekend. Hopefully he could leave trouble at work.

Though he rarely let it be known he had a personal life, his family was the only reason he kept coming to work each day…next to national security of course. He entered the door tiredly and was greeted by his daughters Angeline and Vanessa, 14 and 6, respectively. Vanessa was in pigtails; he'd have to ask how that came about when the child often insisted her mother leave her hair alone.

"How are you, darling?" he asked, lifting the younger girl up in his arms.

"I got a gold star on a math test!" she cried out happily.

"Did you now?" he asked. He saw Jade appear from over his daughter's shoulder, smiling.

"That she did," she said. "And Angeline's shooting for the top of her class in Geometry."

"Most of the sophomores work for passing grades," Angeline smiled. "Freshies in advanced math just get A's without trying. I'm not the only one with a 99%, mum."

"No," Jade conceded, turning to James, "but she is the only one teaching her baby sister sine and cosine functions."

Lester set down his daughter and stepped towards his wife. "Any leftovers?"

"Hope you feel like pizza," she shrugged. Lester smiled easily.

"I'd love some," he said, leaning forward before Jade turned to land a quick kiss. She rolled her eyes and led the way to the kitchen.

He felt his mobile buzz. He reached to his pocket and saw it was Quinn. He read it, then dropped his phone.

_STEPHEN HART TOOK SARAH. _


	4. Chapter 4

**I still don't own Primeval. But I've come to terms with that fact. AUGH! HOW COULD THEY KILL CUTTER AND GET RID OF JENNY!?!?!?**

Chapter 4

Becker cursed, glaring at Danny, who shook his head helplessly.

"You--" he broke off, not finding a work foul enough to suit his fury. He settled for stepping towards the leader with hateful eyes. "How could you let her get taken?"

Danny looked down unhappily. Becker knew deep down that it wasn't his fault, but he needed to blame someone. Stephen and Sarah were gone now, lost millions of years in either direction.

***

He'd aimed a gun at Danny's head. In his other hand he held an anomaly device.

"Who are you?" Becker asked. Abby and Connor looked at one another in shock.

"Stephen," Abby breathed, then repeated his name, louder. The man looked at her with the eyes they remembered so well. Warm, deep, soulful, caring--and then they grew cold so fast.

"Be quiet," he hissed. He took a few steps towards Connor, cocking his head to the side. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, Connor. You got a haircut. Not horrible, not great, either."

"Who are you?" Connor asked. "You're not Stephen. Are you one of Helen's--"

"I'm not a clone," he said easily. "Like Helen told Nick, a clone can never be the same man. I _am_ Stephen James Hart."

"You're dead," Connor said, his voice breaking. "Cutter said he watched you get torn to shreds."

"He looked away too quickly to see me escape," Stephen shrugged. "Helen saved me."

"Helen saved you?" Abby asked incredulously. "How?"

"She came through an anomaly and pulled me through."

"We b--we buried you," Abby said. Her lips were shaking.

"You buried a box," Stephen shrugged. "They couldn't find my body. They supposed there wasn't enough left to salvage, but it wasn't there at all. Helen and I watched my funeral. It wasn't that bad."

"So you're Helen's boy now, are you?" Connor glared at him. "You know she murdered Cutter."

"And I know Quinn watched as Helen died."

"I know, Helen was a real saint." Connor took a step towards Stephen now, staring defiantly into his eyes. "A loss to our world."

"Don't speak like that about my wife," Stephen snarled. Abby's eyes widened and Connor stared in disbelief; Stephen smirked.

"What? Cutter was hardly a model husband for her, while I would do anything for her. When Cutter died, she and I got hitched."

"Bet you two danced on Cutter's grave," Connor scowled. "You know you practically killed Cutter yourself, when he thought you were dead."

"I was the one who kept him from stepping into Leek's menagerie," he shrugged. He inclined his head. "The way I see it, you owe me one."

They looked ready to kill one another; Stephen held the gun, but Connor had a year's worth of vengeance pulling at his heart. Sarah saw Stephen begin to cock his gun first, and she stepped in between them.

"If you want to kill Connor, you'll have to kill me first," she said quickly.

"No!" Becker shouted. Sarah ignored him. Stephen let out a short, clipped laugh.

"I hardly want to kill anyone," he said, shaking his head. "But I guess--" He grabbed Sarah's arm forcefully and pulled her around so his gun was pressing into her neck. Sarah winced at the cold metal. "You leave me no choice, Page."

"No!" Becker snarled again. He took a step forward but Danny held him back. Stephen stepped backwards into the anomaly, and it closed behind him.

***

Becker was tired of seeing pain--no, that wasn't right. Right now, he wanted to cause Danny Quinn so much pain.

Abby's eyes crossed from Becker to Danny fearfully, then closed her eyes, hearing the crack in the air as Becker's knuckles collided with Danny's chin. Danny fell backwards, not bothering to defend himself because he knew how Becker felt. He knew, in the soldier's position, he would feel much the same way. He licked a dot of blood from the corner of his mouth and got to his feet.

Connor stood, his back against a graffiti-splattered wall as he shook his head. He was trying to work out in his head where they would have gone. Where Stephen would try to steal Sarah off to.

It didn't make sense, Stephen taking Sarah. Unless he was trying to get something else out of her, pressuring the team by having one of their own.

Danny's cell phone rang; it was the imperial march from _Star Wars. _Connor would've been amused, but the air was too heavy to laugh.

Danny snatched up his phone to answer it. "Lester?"

"Look, Quinn. It's late, and I can't talk long, but what's this about Stephen?"

"Late? Oh, time change--well, Stephen Hart just left with Sarah."

"He--give the phone to Temple."

"He wants to talk to you," Danny said to Connor as he handed the phone over. Connor set it at his ear quietly.

"Stephen's dead, Temple."

"Lester, Helen got him out before the creatures killed him." His voice was emotionless. "And she brainwashed him."

Lester was silent a moment. "You know I have to order you to return to the ARC."

"You know I can't do it, Lester."

Lester sighed. "And I don't expect you to, not until you get Sarah back."

That gave Connor a slight, unconvinced smile. "Is that an order?"

"An unofficial order. Off the record."

Connor nodded. "All right. I'll do it."

"What's wrong, James?"

James turned to his wife sadly. "Do you want me to be honest, Jade?"

She nodded, stepping towards him. "Is it work?"

He breathed slowly, stepping across the room to where his daughters' school pictures were hung on the wall. They smiled out at him, alleviating some of his tension. "Yes."

"Who were you talking to?"

"Two of my employees, Connor Temple and Danny Quinn. They're in trouble, and it's serious. They're on a business trip and something's gone wrong."

"Where are they?"

"America, somewhere."

Jade cocked her head to the side. She took a few steps towards him. "Will you ever let me in, James? I know your job is national security and I should keep my nose out, but I want to help you."

James smiled ruefully. "Maybe someday. But not today."

They looked at one another once more, for hours or seconds, before stepping back to their bedroom.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. "Whoever is coming to call at this hour of night?" Jade asked, getting out of bed. James was barely awake but leapt up as he heard his wife scream.

He entered the living room to see at least six soldiers entering their house. One was restraining Jade, holding an arm across her shoulders, immobilizing her.

"Get off of her!" Lester shouted, but a soldier struck him with the stock of a gun across his face. He collapsed onto the floor, holding his hand over his cheek, where blood was beginning to pool between his fingers.

"James!" Jade cried.

"Daddy!"

Lester looked up weakly to see Angeline and Vanessa standing at the entrance to the room. There were tears in their eyes as a soldier picked each one up and slung them over a shoulder. Two soldiers picked Lester off the floor, each one holding him by an arm as they were carried outside. They were thrown one by one into an armored vehicle waiting outside and the door slammed behind them. There was a dim light above their heads.

Jade was watching James with terrified eyes.

"Who are these men, James?" she asked. "Why are they doing this?"

James grimaced. "I suppose I was wrong. I do have to tell you today."

"What is it, daddy?" Vanessa asked. Her eyes were like saucers.

He breathed before beginning. "I work for the government, Jade. You know that much. I work at the ARC."

"The Anglosphere Revenue Centre, yes," Jade nodded. James shook his head.

"It's not about revenue. It's called the Anomaly Research Centre. It's probably the most secret government agency in existence, and we'd like to keep it that way."


	5. Chapter 5

**Once again, I don't own Primeval. I'm getting sort of tired of repeating this, but I will desperately avoid copyright infringement at all costs. **

Chapter 5

Stephen kept his gun pressed tightly to Sarah's neck as they stumbled across the mostly barren landscape.

"What do you want from me?" Sarah asked. Stephen laughed hollowly.

"I don't want anything from you, not now," he said. "What I want is to keep you scared and silent. You're more valuable as a prisoner than anything you can offer me."

"Have you always been this awful?" Sarah tripped, gritting her teeth as she looked at her skinned knees. There were tiny pieces of rock embedded in her bloody, raw skin. She got to her feet shakily as Stephen jabbed the gun into her neck again.

"Helen taught me what the ARC was doing," he said. "She showed me what the future looked like, that it was all the ARC's fault. I didn't believe it at first, but she helped me to see the truth."

Sarah tried to snuff out her curiosity, but it got the better of her. "What's the future like?" she asked.

"The others never told you?" He stopped, turning to face her. "It's the worst place you can imagine. Buildings are burnt and fallen. Future predators and giant bugs are everywhere." He pulled a flask from his pocket and took a swig. Sarah licked her parched lips jealously.

***

Abby felt tears form in her eyes. She and Connor were in the room she and Sarah had shared, packing.

"Sarah bought me this dress," she sighed. "And the makeup's all hers. Crud, I hate the dress and the makeup but I miss her."

Connor looked at her with slight confusion, his eyes squinting in that way he did when he was trying to figure something out. "Why did you wear them, Abby?"

She froze; explaining things to Connor had never been her strong suit, as she often tried to soften a blow by ignoring it entirely. She feared Connor already suspected the elephant in the room but she managed to plaster an indifferent look on her face. "Oh…she insisted, you know. She actually thought I'd be suited for the natural girl look."

She felt a sudden flash of déjà vu, a fierce memory of years ago, when she had tried to impress Stephen with pretty-girl looks. She should've learned then that it didn't work…Connor had said she looked good then, so _why didn't he now?_

She bit her lip, struggling to restrain from hitting him. "That's it, now," she said. "I suppose we better go to Danny and Becker, then. We've got to start our wild goose chase."

"Something tells me Stephen's gonna show himself," Connor said. "I mean, what would he want with Sarah? Probably to make us mad, so the next time we see him, we run after him through that stupid anomaly."

Abby glanced at Connor in surprise. She realized that somewhere along the way, Connor aged about thirty years. He was such an adult, so smart and so sure of himself. He wasn't the boy she knew.

She was watching him so intently, while he ignored her.

"Abby?" Connor asked. "Is it just me, or is there a group of soldiers headed this way?"

Abby didn't register his words at first. When she did, she turned to face their open window and gasped. At least twenty men in black uniforms--much like Becker's--were coming towards them, each one fingering a gun held at his waist.

***

James Lester cursed the soldiers for placing him in the same cell as Codi, while his family was who knows where in another holding block of the ARC.

"We're gonna die," Codi murmured, her hands quivering. "They're gonna kill us for what we know, like in the movies….We're gonna _die_, Lester!"

Lester bit back a snarling retort. He supposed if one of them was going to succumb to hysterics, it was better to be the temp. Instead he shot her a fierce, cold look that shut her up.

The cell door opened. Codi pushed herself back away from the door, eyes wide with terror as she put her hands over her head. Lester followed her to the far corner; fear must've been taking its toll if he was following Codi.

Into the cell was pushed a familiar face--Sarah. She collapsed on the floor at Lester's feet and looked up at him without much surprise.

"He got you, too?" she said. Her voice betrayed her fear as her eyes flicked to the temp. "And Codi."

"And we've got Robin and his merry men as well," said a strangely familiar voice. Lester cursed as Stephen stepped into the room. "Oh, nice. I can see we'll have to wash out your mouth."

"What are you doing, Hart? What is it you want?"

Stephen smiled then; it was his smile that sent a chill through their spines. "Helen was right about the future. It _is _the fault of the ARC. Only I will end that future by destroying everyone ever involved in the Anomaly Project."

"You're insane," Lester scowled. "What have you done with my family?"

Stephen ignored him and began to step out of the cell. "Enjoy your stay. While you're able."


	6. Chapter 6

**Once again, I do not own Primeval. **

**Top Ten Idiosyncrasies of a Primeval Fangirl:**

**10. The password on your computer is GYOB-ORX**

**9. In Math class, when you see the number 333 you smile and the number 3.3 you cry. In English when you're reading **_**Julius Caesar**_** and you talk about the oft-used number 3, you think of…well, you know. **

**8. Conby, Claudutter, Secker, and Stelen have become parts of your daily vocabulary. Or countless other words, if you're a slash fan. **

**(More on the way)**

Chapter 6

The soldier busted their door down without much difficulty. Connor and Abby were in the bathroom of the room, praying that Danny and Becker were also hiding. Abby turned to the towel racks and tried to yank one of the rods out.

"Help, quick!" she hissed at Connor furiously. Connor instantly reached a hand up to the rod and tugged on it; with his and Abby's weights throwing back from it the rack broke. Abby snatched up two of the rods that made the towel rack and Connor grabbed up the other two just as the door opened.

Abby lurched forward first, snapping the rod in her right hand down upon the first soldier's head. He fell but landed on his knees, still blocking the way to escape. As he held his hands up to his bleeding skull another soldier found his way through. He caught Abby's rod as it was coming down and yanked it away from her, and in that motion blocked Connor's rod with Abby's. He moved forward and grabbed Connor's rod, holding one in each hand.

"Come quietly or I get violent," he snarled, a smile creeping across his face as he used one of the rods to push a strand of hair from Abby's eyes. "I'd hate to harm a hair on your girlfriend's pretty little head, Temple."

Abby didn't bother pointing out that she was not Connor's girlfriend. "You're from the ARC," Connor said in surprise. The soldier nodded.

"You think Hart doesn't plan ahead, Temple? Most of the ARC soldiers are his."

Connor glanced at Abby protectively as the soldier poked her neck with the rod. "Don't think I can't get creative, Temple," the soldier sneered, his eyes running over Abby's form hungrily.

"No!" Connor exclaimed. "We'll go, alright? Just don't hurt Abby."

Abby looked up at Connor as he took a step closer to her and grabbed the rod held at her neck, pushing it away. The soldier grimaced as the other one got to his feet.

"Fine," he shrugged, dropping the rods and instead placing a hand on his waist where his gun lay. "Come on."

***

They were piled into the back of an armored truck along with Becker and Danny; Connor kept a protective hand on Abby's waist the entire time. They were silent. It wasn't long before the truck lurched to a final stop and the door was lifted open. The four looked up at the soldiers waiting for them tiredly. They were defeated.

"Come on," the lead soldier--the soldier who had threatened Abby--growled. He and most of his men held guns on them; four others held a black bag in one hand and handcuffs in the other. They submitted in exhaustion to being cuffed and bags placed on their heads, tied too tightly around their necks. They were then shoved forward with guns in their backs.

Connor started when Abby squeaked in stifled pain. "Abby?" he called, turning in the direction she was in until the gun jabbed him in the side.

"Never mind, Connor," Abby said quietly. "Keep going."

***

Sarah moved closer towards Lester, her sympathy beginning to surface over the anger she was feeling.

"What's your family like?" she asked, leaning in towards him. For a moment Lester's defenses were down and he closed his eyes, looking away in shame as she supposed a tear was falling. For that moment he was less of Lester, the boss they had grown to disdain, and more a member of the team. He raised a hand to his eye, confirming her suspicion, and lowered it, turning to face her.

"My wife's name is Jade," he said in a crackling voice. "She's beautiful, intelligent, strong…" He bit his lip. "Sometimes I'm not sure if I deserve her. And my daughters--Angeline is fourteen, and she's a veritable genius. Vanessa is six, and if she's going to be half as smart as her sister she'll be brilliant. They both look so much like their mother, with their yellow hair and their green eyes."

Sarah saw tears in the man's eyes but he did not wipe them away. She watched him bite his lip and turn away again. She leaned over to him again, eyes full of compassion. "We'll get them back, James."

It was a bold thing, calling him by his first name. Any other time she would've probably been rebuked. Now, Lester's eyes softened and he offered her a slight, hopeful smile. Sarah sighed, glad that someone had a little optimism. She leaned her head backwards and it came to rest on Lester's shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

**Primeval is still owned by other people. See earlier chapters for details. **

**TTIPF**

**7. You dream of hanging of a ledge in the future, being attacked by mercreatures, while your adorable flat-mate tells you he can't let you go because he loves you. 3**

**6. You know that the best revenge is not living well. It's watching Helen Cutter get pushed off a cliff by a deinonychus. And using your computer DVD player to replay it over and over again. Wait, that's not revenge…it's pure insanity. **

**5. You wonder about the deep questions in life: Why did Cutter run back for Helen? What is Sarah's idea? Who **_**would**_** win in a fight between Wolverine and Spiderman?? **

Chapter 7

They were blindfolded for hours yet, and Connor's legs had been bound together by thick bands in addition to his handcuffs so that he couldn't move as he heard Abby groaning. He supposed Danny and Becker, on either side of him, had their legs cuffed as well; they were squirming with their bonds as much as he when Abby could be heard.

Before long it was over. They were forced upwards and forwards, and Connor called out to Abby as they removed the bands from his ankles.

"I'm…I'm okay, Connor," she sputtered, though he could hear her voice tremble.

They were pushed into a car, where the close quarters pressed them in tightly in the back seat. Connor could practically hear Danny's teeth grinding down with restrained fury.

"When we get unshackled I'm breaking the leader's neck," he growled to Connor, she shook his head.

"I get first crack at that, Danny."

They were dragged back out of the car and into a building; the air was cooler than is was outside. They were dragged through until finally they were separated and Connor lost track of Abby's breath as he was tossed onto the floor beside Becker.

"Throw Quinn and the whore in with Lester," the leader's voice called; Connor thrashed furiously, knocking his head against the floor and grimacing at the pain. He felt someone kick him over and tug the bag off his head. The Leader kicked him in the jaw, sending his head spinning as his hands were released. The Leader disappeared then, and Connor let his head fall back in exhaustion.

"Temple," Becker said from beside him. Connor gritted his teeth and lifted his head, ignoring the pain. He was a woman and two girls huddled against the far wall.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Jade Lester," the woman answered lowly. "You work for my husband."

It wasn't a question. Connor nodded, and Becker pushed himself up onto his hands, cocking his head to the side.

"What does Hart want with you?"

***

Danny and Abby's bags were pulled from their heads and their shackles removed before they were thrown into the cell. Sarah and Lester looked up in surprise; Codi looked up from the floor where she had been ignoring the other two inhabitants of the cell.

"You're okay!" Sarah exclaimed. Abby collapsed onto the floor quietly. Danny leaned down to set a hand on her shoulder, and she jerked away at his touch, then looked up apologetically.

"It'll be okay, Abbs," he said, hoping he was being comforting as he crossed over to sit on the other side of Sarah, who switched from leaning on Lester to leaning on Danny.

"What happened?" she whispered, but Danny shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. We've got to find a way to get out of here."

Codi's ears perked up. "There's no way," she said. "I helped in the designs of these cells. They're impenetrable."

"There's got to be a way," Danny said, his eyes circling around the ceiling. "No ventilation shafts? No air conditioner? Nothing?"

"There's no break in the walls except for the door," Codi replied. "The walls don't even have a seam between them and the floor and ceiling. Nothing's supposed to get in or out. It was designed to be able to hold anyone, namely Helen."

"Instead it's holding us." Lester grimaced. "What do you suggest, Quinn?"

Danny's mouth became a thin, determined line. "We don't los hope. Stephen will have to take us out to kill us."

"Or he could wait for us to starve," Codi grimaced, her head falling into her hands. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"You're a regular glass half-full, Codi," she snapped.


	8. Chapter 8

**Still don't own Primeval. Not yet… (Cue maniacal laughter.) **

**TTIPF**

**4. You say with determination that you watch for the plot while pausing and sighing every time Cutter, Stephen, Connor, Becker, or Danny says or does something absolutely adorable. **

**3. You go to FYE just to walk around the sci-fi section waiting for the geek in fingerless gloves with a ring on a leather band around his neck to walk by, and you believe with all your heart he will. **

**2. You take a graphing calculator and walk around shouting at the top of your lungs, "We need to evacuate! There's an anomaly in here!" **

Chapter 8

Connor held his aching head. They sat in uncomfortable silence, Becker brooding, Jade watching both of them with uneasy eyes, and he unable to speak with the splitting headache he was suffering from.

He and Becker had never been particularly close; Becker was just as condescending as Cutter and Stephen had been and Danny was, and even Abby on occasion, but Becker rarely had the deep-down caring smile the others put behind their words. Even though Connor was a year Becker's senior, the soldier was always sure to have the last word in any argument for the sheer reason that he was…better. Connor knew it. Becker was more athletic and more coordinated and didn't spend half as much time with his head in the clouds as Connor did. Connor supposed the only times they ever did get along was when they were helping someone else. Finding Cutter as the ARC was destroyed, before Cutter ran back in like a fool. On every other term, they were polar opposites.

The door opened, thrusting Connor from his thoughts. In peered the Leader's smirking face. "Come on, Temple. I need you. Not you, Captain," he added as Becker was beginning to get to his feet. "You get to stay here with the girlies…and a few other guests."

As Connor stepped warily from the cell, three others entered: Caroline Steel, Jack Maitland, and Jenny Lewis. Connor stopped a moment, turning to face Jenny.

"Jenny--are you okay?"

She nodded, and though her words were strong her eyes betrayed her. "I'm fine, Connor. Go on."

He paused a moment, looking at Jenny, who was like an older sister to him. He bit his lip before his eyes crossed over Jack, and then Caroline.

He was marched along to another room, where Stephen sat alone, his arms crossed over his chest. "Temple," he said, his eyes narrowed on the younger man. "Never believed I'd say this, but I need your help."

***

The door to the cell opened. Danny got to his feet and made for the entrance but was shoved aside by a pair of soldiers before he saw them coming.

Another soldier stepped in, his eyes running over all of them silently. "Don't try anything funny," he snapped. "There's twenty soldiers outside of this room ready to shoot dead anyone who thinks of escape."

"Twenty?" Danny asked. His eyes narrowed on the soldier. "I'd fight forty to get my friends out alive."

"Try and chance it, I dare you," the soldier replied. He laid his eyes on Abby, then gestured for the men behind him to take her. "This one's it."

"Don't you touch her," Danny growled. Lester was also getting to his feet, and Sarah. Danny put his arms up in front of Abby.

The soldier didn't hesitate, landing a blow on Danny's chin. Lester and Sarah caught him as he fell but they couldn't do that and protect Abby. The blond girl was pulled away, barely putting up a fight.

"Abby!" Sarah called after her. "Abby!"

She stared at the door as it closed behind them, looking down at Danny, frightened. "Why didn't she put up a fight, Danny--tell me _everything_ that happened while I was gone!"

Danny sighed. "Don't suppose I'm having much luck with you girls or soldiers today," he said with a wry smile that didn't reach his eyes. "When you got taken, Becker punched me in the jaw." Sarah raised her eyebrows at that, but he continued. "Then, we were getting ready to scour…well, everywhere, to find you. Men from the ARC showed up and shoved us into an armored van, then blindfolded us for the rest of the trip. Abby had been making noises the whole time--I think the men…" He let his voice trail off, his eyes closing in regret. Sarah made a little sound of horror. "I don't know why she didn't fight, even handcuffed--I'd take her for the kind of girl who could fight a guy off with her little finger if she had to."

Sarah looked about to say something, stopped herself, then went on.

"You can't ever tell Abby I'm telling you this," she said quietly. Danny narrowed his eyes at her and she continued. "We were out getting a drink after that future anomaly, and we talked. She told me about when she was a kid, and her parents…weren't really parents."

Danny's expression didn't change; he'd guessed what she was saying. "She was too scared to fight back because she tried fighting back before."

Sarah nodded, looking away. "Not just her parents. Stepdad after stepdad. She took kickboxing a few years ago, but I guess when push came to shove she was blindfolded and cuffed, and surrounded by armed soldiers. Man, I feel so horrible for her."

"Hey, Abby's a tough girl," Danny said. Sarah looked up with a weary smile. "Toughest kid on the team, right? They can't do anything to her."

***

Connor shook his head. "I won't do it. I'd never do that."

"Oh, don't be that way." Stephen stared him down and spoke in that ever-so-condescending voice of his. The voice he'd always used with Connor, anyway. "That's what I said to Helen at first, believe it or not. Before she showed me the future."

"Helen murdered the professor," Connor scowled, speaking through his teeth. "And now you're her psychopathic slave, still bowing to your dead master."

"Are you any different?" Stephen replied. "You people worship Cutter. All he ever gave you was more questions. He never told any one of us the whole truth. Not to mention he was mad. Helen was saving the planet."

"Helen's a murderer," Connor replied. "I'd rather worship a crazy hero over following a homicidal environmentalist any day."

At this point the door flew open and in fell Abby, shoved forth by the Leader.

"Here she is," the soldier said. Connor dove to the floor to Abby.

"Are you okay? Abby!" He enveloped her in a hug, which gave her a shiver and she pushed him away.

"I'm fine, Connor…" She got to her feet, ignoring his proffered hand. Stephen smiled.

"Take her into the next room, Pullman," Stephen said carelessly; Abby was pulled through a door and Connor was left staring after her. Stephen turned to Connor then and smiled smugly. "Alright, Connor. This is how it works. If you don't give me what I want, you can watch Abby get shot between the eyes."

Connor froze as one of the walls of the dark room lit up--it was a window to the adjacent room, where the Leader, Pullman, was forcing Abby into a chair, where he strapped her wrists and ankles down.

Connor's eyes were locked on Abby, who was staring up at her captor fearfully. "She can't see us," he said. Stephen nodded, though he was answering that question and the deeper question hidden beneath it:

_She can't see me betray the ARC. _

Connor nodded. "I'll do it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, cliffhanger, right? What was Stephen's plan that he needed Connor for? Well, now you can know. (I don't own Primeval, but I do own a Nidorino keychain. It's sort of similar, right?) **

**I am sorry to report that this the 9****th**** chapter of the saga 'A Lot can Happen on Vacation' is the penultimate chapter. Wow, penultimate. That's a fun word. **

**TTIPF**

**1. And the one you've all been waiting for: You would name your children Rex, Sid, and Nancy if you get 1000 fans on a Facebook fan page for Primeval. Heck, you'd name one Anomaly if you get 10000 fans. **

**(Note: Don't name a kid Anomaly. Just don't.) **

Chapter 9

Connor sat at the desk of the ADD, biting his lip as he typed in coordinates and times. Helen's notes indicating a backup plan in case hers failed were terribly specific. Stephen took an anomaly opening device and hooked it up to the ADD, ordering Connor to punch the information from the notes into the opener and then send it back into the detector. He had to modify the detector's relay device so that instead of detecting anomalies…

…He had to create them.

It was difficult work, helped not at all by the fact that he wished he could do anything to stop it. He stood and crossed behind the detector, checking the wires linking it to the opener and double checking them. He didn't want something to explode or start to melt or countless other things. He'd seen the tragedy that had occurred once when he'd spilled a cup of water on his old netbook. Files had popped open and things had started. He didn't want to think of what would happen if something went wrong here. If the wrong file opened, it could spell a whirlwind of anomalies he wasn't prepared for, in terrible places across time.

Stephen stood against a desk, watching him work with a hand on his chin, deep in thought or just faking to scare Connor. Connor was unwilling to stop his work to take a closer look. A moment's hesitation could spell the end of Abby.

She was in a room adjacent to the hub; her saucer eyes, watching Connor work so diligently, were full of shock and terror. He wished now he could tell her that he was doing it for her, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop his work.

He wished for some distraction, something to stop Stephen's staring. He had guessed by now that Stephen didn't understand the way the ADD or the opener worked, but he didn't know how he could cause a distraction in his position.

He walked back around the detector, sitting himself back down into the chair. It was so fascinating, what he was doing, and if it weren't such malevolent work he would be having fun at it. The idea of using the detector's relays to cause anomalies throughout time would've seemed impossible without Helen Cutter's notes--if he'd ever wanted to--and that thought alone, that he was helping Helen Cutter in some manner, horrified him.

Then he had an idea--it struck him like a blow to the head. He actually jerked his head in shock at the simplicity of the plan, wondering how it hadn't come to him earlier. He turned to look at Stephen, who narrowed his eyes at him.

"Are you almost finished?" he asked impatiently.

"Just have to create another file for storage," he said, making it up. Stephen nodded, buying it.

Connor turned to the ADD, taking a deep breath before opening a new file and inputting another date and coordinates. He paused a moment, calculating the exact year he would need. First, he turned off the detector, eliminating the risk the anomaly he had to set would be discovered before it was open long enough to cause a problem. Then he set the past date for 260 MYA and saved the file, pausing a moment to breathe carefully before sending out the signal for the anomaly to open. He closed the file quickly and opened another one, copying and pasting the contents of the original file onto this new one to make it seem as though he was doing something. He began moving around dates and coordinates, waiting for something to happen.

Connor suddenly heard a chirp from Lester's office. He and Stephen looked up slowly, and saw a Coelurosauravus standing at the top of the handrail, peering down at them curiously.

"Rex?" Stephen asked before turning to face Connor with hateful eyes. "You did this," he snarled.

Suddenly, they heard a far-off roar. Connor's eyes were easy and proud. "My guess is Gorgonopsid."

Stephen's eyes grew wide with shock. He turned to the window where Abby and Pullman were watching them, unaware of what was occurring outside. "Off her!" he screamed furiously at the Leader.

"NO!" Connor cried.

Pullman was about to grab for his gun when he heard another roar, louder and nearer than the first. He froze, staring at the door and seeming to consider whether or not it was safe to ignore the threat. He decided instantly that it was serious as the massive creature appeared outside the door, its shoulders smashing the glass walls as it stormed past.

It slammed through the doors, and Stephen bolted in the opposite direction. Connor ran to the side, and he watched in horror as the creature crashed through the ADD as though it was nothing. He didn't have time to waste, however; he shot back towards the door to get Abby. Pullman had run off in fear.

"Abby!" He didn't press her this time, but ate her up in his eyes. He wanted to savor every moment with her. She was looking into his eyes as desperately as he was looking into hers, but finally she broke away.

"Erm… we have to help the others."

"Yeah."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before running off, Abby leading Connor in the direction of the cell she had been in.

***

Another Gorgonopsid had come through, along with a Scutosaurus and more Coelurosauravuses, though the giant predators caused the most damage easily. In a sense, it made Connor and Abby's task easy. Most of the soldiers had evacuated.

They came upon the door. It was locked and had a bar across it. It was designed to be a perfect cell; the door was impossible to break down, tested by Danny. Abby and Connor grabbed the bar and pushed up on it, and after a few sharp thrusts they lifted it up. Connor turned the knob with fumbling fingers, and it opened to reveal Danny, Sarah, Lester, and Codi.

"Connor! Abby!" Sarah jumped to her feet and threw an arm around each of their necks. "What happened, is Stephen gone?"

"He's done," Connor said quickly. "Gorgonopsid destroyed the detector--don't ask." Suddenly, Lester stepped forward.

"Have you seen my family?" he demanded. Connor nodded.

"Come on, they're in the cell with Becker, and Jenny and Jack and Caroline got thrown in, too." He gave an apologetic glance to Abby, whose eyes widened. He shot off in the direction of the cell, pausing once to remember his bearings before running again, Lester on his heels followed closely by Abby.

He found the cell and pulled the bar up, then pushing the door open. Lester was practically through the door before it was opened and his face broke out in an excited smile upon seeing his family. Jade stood and embraced him, and his daughters got to their feet happily. Abby shoved through and hugged her brother tightly.

Jenny stepped forward to Danny, offering him a shaky smile.

"So whatever has gone on since I left, Danny?" she asked, unable to keep a smile off her face. Danny shared the smile, and then leaned forward boldly to plant a kiss on her lips. She didn't resist.

Abby let go of her brother and turned to face Connor. "So…I suppose now's as good a time as any to tell you why I wore that dress."

Connor furrowed his brow. "What?"

Abby smiled gently. "It was the girl thing, Connor."

Connor's face was full of confusion before she leaned up onto her tiptoes and lifted a hand up behind Connor's head, moving her lips up onto his.

"Oh," he said when they separated. Abby cocked her head to the side slightly.

"I knew you'd figure it out," she said before kissing him again.

Sarah watched them all pleasantly, a smile alive on her lips and in her eyes. She was acutely aware of Becker approaching her but she pretended to be surprised when he spoke.

"Guess it's a happy ending?" he said. She turned to face him. She loved his eyes--they were so mysterious, pretty in their own right apart from the rest of him. He was always smiling, even if he didn't really mean to smile. She remembered the time he had been pretending to be Johnson's soldier boy, and how he had stared them down with his gun. She wondered if even then, he was smiling. Maybe it was just her imagination mixing with her memories. No, it's impossible for someone to _always _be smiling.

She realized she had been silent, just staring at him for several moments, so she looked away quickly and tried to come up with a response.

"Not really," she laughed, cursing herself when it was a little too dry. "You heard Connor, a Gorgonopsid destroyed the ADD. I'm gonna have to help him fix it, and I bet the Gorgonopsid's still running around, and who knows how many others if there's an anomaly open here, and we have to find Stephen, and--"

She broke off as the soldier grabbed her chin and pulled her lips to his. She closed her eyes after a moment and fell into his arms, happiness surging through her.

"Heard you punched Danny," she murmured between kisses.

"Should I have punched a little harder?" he asked, his lips tracing up along her jaw tenderly. Sarah sighed. She turned her head to the side in time with his mouth.

Connor broke away from Abby to sigh. "You know," he said, "I think we'd better get to work."


	10. Epilogue

**Don't own Primeval. Still sad. **

Epilogue

Connor and Sarah rushed upstairs to Lester and Jenny's offices, looking at the two officials excitedly.

"It's ready," Connor smiled.

Lester kept a stoic face but smiled to himself as the others turned to exit down the ramp. In the two-and-a-half months since the takeover by Stephen, he'd come to respect the young employees, though he'd never admit it. He even let his guard down now and then. Sarah asked him about his family, and he'd have a story to offer her of some event or another. The temps were gone and he was thrilled.

Finally, the Minister was done offering invitations for him, deciding it was a lost cause. The place was soon filled by another public servant, one far more suitable for the job. It seemed in light of the recent occurrence, the Minister offered Jennifer Lewis the position of Chief Executive of the Anomaly Operation and Ambassador to Worldwide Anomaly Affairs, and she accepted on one condition: she runs operations from the ARC.

She still conceded that Lester was in charge, of course.

He followed the other three from his office, down the ramp to meet Danny, Abby, and Becker at the bottom. He thought with satisfaction of the long while it had taken to get the ARC put back together.

They found Stephen's body inside the ARC as they were looking for the Gorgonopsids. At first they were horrified, but an autopsy revealed he wasn't Stephen at all, but a clone. He had no belly button.

Connor, after the initial shock, had remarked that it was so standard of a sci-fi giveaway it was almost poetic. Helen must've taught him everything about who Stephen was to make him the perfect weapon. They decided that Helen's curse had finally faded away, and they could focus again on predicting and containing the anomalies.

It was not long after this revelation that the inevitable occurred. Connor proposed to Abby (making Becker the winner of the office pool over when he would pluck up the courage) and she accepted. Lester sent a humorous card to Abby offering his condolences, which had finally breached the gap between boss and friend. The wedding was planned for tomorrow, and Abby positively glowed with joy.

"We don't have all day, Temple," Lester said in his traditional dry tone. Connor and Sarah were typing furiously, activating the ADD2.

There were two chairs to this one, though Connor and Sarah stood above the keyboards instead of sitting before them. The three screens, larger than the old ones, were arranged in a horizontal row. Finally the two scientists took a step back and a test alarm rang through the ARC. It was louder and longer and clearer than the last one, and the crosshairs on the central screen searched for the location of the 'anomaly'.

"Where'd you set it for?" Abby asked, though she smiled as the crosshairs finally settled on the tiny chapel they'd decided to use for their wedding. It was the church they'd set the false alarm in over a year ago, inadvertently capturing Jenny, and the church's graveyard was the one they'd buried Stephen in. They'd also planned the perfect spot for their reception: the Forest of Dean. They decided it had a little dramatic irony that they couldn't ignore.

"Brilliant," Lester smiled, turning back to climb the ramp to his office. "It works."

"Lester," Connor called up to him, so he turned tentatively.

"What?"

"I'm having my bachelor party tonight, so…if there's an anomaly, herd the creatures back in by yourself, yeah?"

Danny and Becker stifled their laughs, both of them high fiving Connor.

"We'd better head out, Conn," Becker said.

"Don't have too much fun," Abby advised, and Sarah and Jenny nodded their agreement to their respective boyfriends.

"Hey, your bachelorette party's gonna be just as wild," Becker mock-whined. "We work hard every day. We deserve a little fun…"

"These workplace romances are going to kill me," Lester grimaced, returning to his office with a sigh.

Danny looked down at his watch, smiling. "Yep, it's about time," he said. Sarah cocked her head to the side.

"Time for what?" she asked. He smiled up at her.

"We're returning home from America right about now," he replied. "That was a fun vacation."

_Al Final._

**And that's it! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who read, and extra-special much to everyone who reviewed, especially serial reviewers. If you haven't reviewed yet, don't be afraid to start now! I can use all the feedback I can get! **

**I hope you're satisfied with my ending. I knew from the beginning I wouldn't allow Stephen to be bad because he redeemed himself in 2.7, and I believe he was a good person, if fooled by Helen. Sorry if the autopsy sounds a little too 'deus ex machina'. **

**Adieu, adieu, adieu! All my love! **

_**~Bellalyse, XOXO**_


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